During the recovery of fluids, such as oil, from offshore formations below the bottom of a body of water, it is typical to provide a plurality of offshore wells which extend into the bottom of the body of water from the deck portion of offshore platforms constructed or erected in the water. Generally, each well includes a drill conductor extending from the deck portion of the offshore platform down through the platform structure, and into the water bottom. Advantageously, as the drill conductors pass through the platform structure, guide members are provided first, to guide the drill conductor into the water bottom at a relatively konwn location and at a known angle or inclination, and second, to support the drill conductor against movement in the horizontal plane.
Prior to the present invention, the guide members, which usually take the general form of a funnel having a wide receiving end and a narrower exit end, have been connected indirectly to structural support members of the platform. As a result, large expenditures of time have generally been required to weld the support members securely in place, that is, to secure, by welding, the large number of vertical and horizontal support panels connected between the various platform structural members and the guide member. The result is a guide member which does not directly contact any platform structural member. Inasmuch as there may be, for example, twenty-five or more conductors extending from the deck of a single offshore platform, with each conductor utilizing from two to five or more guide members, it quickly becomes clear that even a modest savings in the cost of constructing and installing each guide member is worthwhile and important.
It is therefore a principal object of the invention to provide a simple construction of an apparatus for guiding a drill conductor which is reliable and yet has a minimum fabrication cost. Other objects of the invention are to provide apparatus for guiding the drill conductor which requires a minimum number of fabrication steps, which is strong, which requires a minimum of raw materials, and which is compatible with the platform structural members.